Bill would protect coastal fish

Two state representatives are gathering information in hopes of filing a bill designed to protect several types of coastal fish for recreational fishermen, among other things.

Kate Elizabeth Queram - Wilmington StarNews

Two state representatives are gathering information in hopes of filing a bill designed to protect several types of coastal fish for recreational fishermen, among other things.

Reps. Tom Murry, R-Wake, and Tom Moffitt, R-Buncombe, said Thursday their main objective would be to draft legislation that benefits both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Ideally, Murry said, the bill would help boost the commercial fishing industry by improving state regulations, while also protecting the species of fish that recreational anglers most often cast for.

“I’m interested in a balanced approach to issues that can benefit both the commercial fishing industry and the recreational fishing industry,” Murry said. “So I’m talking to folks on both sides of the issue, and learning a lot about fishing.”

Neither legislator is from the coast, which allows both men to approach the issue from an unbiased perspective, Moffitt said.

“I’m from the mountains. Tom’s from the Piedmont. We don’t have an interest in either side,” he said. “We’re looking broadly at ways that we can constructively create a future and a path for commercial fishermen, but also pay attention to the data we receive on the game-fishing side. We’re approaching it freshly, and where we end up, I’m not exactly sure at this point.”

To that effect, no bill has been drafted and there’s no guarantee that legislation will be filed during this session, though Murry said that successfully tackling the issue would be a signature accomplishment for legislators in Raleigh.

“I think it would be a big win for this General Assembly to see a balanced approach to commercial fishing issues as well as recreational fishing issues,” he said. “It would get that fish off our plate.”

In previous General Assembly sessions, the two sides clashed over controversial “gamefish” legislation, which would have limited the catch of three species of fish to hook-and-line only and prevent sale of the species in North Carolina. That proposal didn’t pass.